Ukraine strike on college in Russian-occupied town kills 6, Moscow says
Mr Putin said he had instructed the defence ministry to prepare a response, but gave no further details.
A drone strike in the Russian-occupied Lugansk region hit a college dormitory overnight, killing six people and injuring dozens more, according to Russian officials, in an attack the Kremlin swiftly denounced as terrorism.
Up to 15 others remain missing, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in televised remarks, calling the strike a “terrorist” act.
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Mr Putin said he had instructed the defence ministry to prepare a response, but gave no further details.
Lugansk, in eastern Ukraine, is almost بالكامل under Russian occupation, and Moscow claims the region as part of its own territory.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine.
“Enemy drones attacked the academic building and dormitory of Starobelsk Professional College,” Moscow-installed governor Leonid Pasechnik wrote on Russia’s MAX messenger, using the Russian name for the town.
“At the time of the strike, 86 children aged 14 to 18 were there,” he added.
Starobilsk is about 65 kilometres from the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Russian troops seized the town in 2022, soon after the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
AFP said it was not immediately able to verify the information surrounding the college that was struck.
‘No leniency’
Mr Putin said the strike happened while the students were asleep.
“At the moment, it is known that six people were killed, 39 were wounded and 15 people are unaccounted for, as the search through the rubble is still ongoing,” he said in televised comments.
“There are no military facilities, special services, or related services near the dormitory,” he added.
Russia’s foreign ministry said those behind the attack would “face inevitable and severe punishment”.
“There will be no leniency,” the ministry said.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the Ukrainian military had launched multiple drones at the building.
“As a result of the attack, the five-storey building collapsed to the second floor,” it said.
Ukraine, which denies deliberately targeting civilians, has frequently launched drone attacks on Russian-held territory, saying they are a response to large-scale Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine says it has documented more than 60,000 civilian casualties since 2022, with almost 90% recorded in areas controlled by Ukraine.
A large Russian strike on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, last week killed 24 people, including three children, Ukrainian authorities said.
Russia launched more than 100 drones at Ukraine between late yesterday and this morning, according to the Ukrainian air force.
